Troubleshooting

[MomRosie]

Hi Kephra,

I'm having problems. Other than purchasing a TDS meter I have tried everything I can think of trying to make perfect silver. I will post my pictures.

These pictures were from the other day. I wanted to make 100 ppm uncapped to use for lotion.  I kept this, but I'm not sure if it's useful. I diluted it with 50% dw to make 50ppm. There was no silver residue in my jar.

Thank you!

[MomRosie]

I do not know how to resize jpeg and I uploaded them smaller. I'm not tech savvy. And no one is home to help. lol

[MomRosie]

This is from today. I tried making 320ppm. I threw it out. I can only think that maybe the heat was off.

[MomRosie]

Again from today. I first ran the Silver Tron trying to make 160 ppm then once it completed I tried to make 20ppm at a lower voltage.

[MomRosie]

A second picture from the last post. It looks like a colloid was trying to form.

[MomRosie]

I'm now starting to believe it might be my machine. I then made 20ppm and it came out extremely light.

[MomRosie]

The cathode from reply #33 and #34

[MomRosie]

And one more from the first pictures I posted. This would be the 50ppm looked at straight on. It doesn't look turbid here and it's not crystal clear but not cloudy looking.

[kephra]

What did you use as a reducing agent?  Karo, maltodextrin, cinnamon extract?
How much did you use?

[MomRosie]

For the first one I posted the 100 ppm I used Karo with vodka - a friend told me the Karo would not spoil if I used alcohol. I didn't keep it in the fridge but it was kept in room temp.

With everything from today, I thoroughly cleaned my bottle and dropper and made fresh Karo and distilled water 50/50.

The first batch today I used gelatin I had opened from a previous time. I opened a new package of gelatin for the second time.

[kephra]

You should not use karo for higher than 30 ppm unless you are also using gelatin.    Try maltodextrin.
It is not a strong enough stabilizer for 100ppm
Also, when using gelatin, it may be necessary to heat it for a while after the electrolysis stops.

[MomRosie]

Kephra,

Thank you for your response.

I will use the maltodextrin for above 30 ppm unless capping in the future.

That explains the problem with the first batch, but what about the 3 others? I'm really at a loss.
 
The basic 20ppm is soo light. It's nowhere near a baby shampoo of gold.

How do I know if my Silver Tron is working correctly? Is there some sort of foolproof test I could do and share in a photo that would let you know if it's me or the machine?

Rosie

[kephra]

How do I know if my Silver Tron is working correctly? Is there some sort of foolproof test I could do and share in a photo that would let you know if it's me or the machine?

With the leads unconnected, press start, and the voltage should read about  28.
Touch the leads together, and the ammeter should read whatever you set the ma to.
If that happens then there is nothing wrong with your machine.

I think you need more Karo in your high ppm batches.
While the amount of electrolyte is always the same based on the amount of water,  the amount of reducing agent needed is proportional to the amount of silver being put into the water.
So if you use 2 drops of Karo for a 1 liter 20 ppm batch, you would use 32 drops for a 1 liter 320 ppm batch.

[MomRosie]

Kephra,

I did the little test and yes leads seem fine and there is a current.

I will have time tomorrow and will make any and all adjustments to make all different strengths capped and uncapped. I will take photos.

I never bought the additional book offered . Had I bought that book would my questions been answered?

Please don't take offense, but what you think are easy and simple directions listed here in the forum, really are not. I do not have a science or tech background. And I've read through the site for hours.
There is so much unclear. Temperatures aren't listed. For example - in the guide with the Silver Tron it says to use hot dw.- how hot ?
And I followed the directions listed on page 6 of the instruction booklet to make 320 ppm. And used the gelatin, electrolyte, and reducing agents amounts listed. Because I have the bullion bar I set it to 15ma. But it does not state what voltage to try and keep the brew at.  I have used 24 as a guide because I figured if the ones using 3 -9 volt batteries are trying for 27 then 24 is probably fine.

I really love this little machine and want to get the most out of it.

Thank you for your time and help.

If anyone else has directions written out or tips I'd greatly appreciate them. You can always email me too.

I've sent a few of you private emails and have never heard back.

Thanks and have a great day!

[kephra]

As to hot:  I run at a what cooks call a simmer.  I set my hotplate so that I get bubbles on the bottom of my flask that don't break the surface of the liquid, without my stirrer running.  That's what I do when making high ppm colloidal silver.  When heating to reduce in the microwave, I just run the microwave at 6 to 7 minutes for a liter.  I don't know exactly what temperature that is, but its not boiling hot.

For me to know exactly what temperature is required for different operations, I would have to make a run at 90 degrees, then one at 91 degrees etc, and I did not do that, as its unnecessary. 

As to voltage,  the minimum is always 10 volts for an electrode spacing of 1.5 inches regardless of target ppm.  If you change the electrode spacing, then the minimum voltage also changes.  There is a formula for that.  Its 4.33 volts per inch of spacing plus 3.5 volts.  So if you used a spacing of 3 inches, the minimum would be 16.5 volts.  But stick with a spacing of 1.5 inches and 10 volts.

As to the eBook, everything that is in the eBook is in the Articles section.  The book is just a printout of some of the articles, so you don't need that.

I hope that answered your questions.  Please do not hesitate to ask when you are not sure or do not understand something.